IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? OR IS THIS JUST FANS AT SEA?

IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? OR IS THIS JUST FANS AT SEA?

The waters of Abaco teem with myriads of fish that depend on the coral reefs for shelter and safety, for breeding, for growing up in, and for nourishment. Sea fans (or gorgonians, to use the technical name) are animals too. They may look like plants and stay rooted to the spot, but like anemones these ‘soft corals’ are creatures of the reef and essential indicators of its health.

At the moment it can still be said that the static (‘sessile’) members of the Abaco reef community are relatively unscathed by the impact of (and I don’t want to get into any arguments here) whatever causes mass bleaching and the death of reefs elsewhere in the world.

The purple sea fan Gorgonia ventalina (classified by Linnaeus in 1785) is one of the most common species of sea fan, and a spectacular one at that. The main branches are linked by a lattice of smaller branches. Below the ‘skin’ is a skeleton made of calcite compounded with a form of collagen.

Sea fans are filter-feeders, and have polyps with eight tiny tentacles that catch plankton as it drifts past. They develop so that their orientation is across the prevailing current. This maximises the water passing by and consequently the supply of food as the fans gently wave in the flow.

Gorgonians have a chemical defense mechanism that protects against potential troublemakers. The main effect is to make themselves unpleasant to nibble or uproot.

One benefit of sea fans to mankind is that their defensive chemicals have been discovered to provide the basis for drug research and development. It’s tempting to say that by way of gratitude, we pollute the waters they need for their very existence. So, consider it said…

All the photos featured are by courtesy of Capt. Keith and Melinda Rogers of the well-known local scuba dive and snorkel centre DIVE ABACO, located in central Marsh Harbour. As prime enablers of reef exploration in Abaco waters, it can truly be said that they too have plenty of fans.

Credits: Keith and Melinda Rodgers; Dive Abaco @DiveAbaco, Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas ** The answer to the questions in the Title is… it’s both!

14 thoughts on “IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? OR IS THIS JUST FANS AT SEA?”

Oh yes, I am a huge fan of Melinda Rogers’. Enjoyed this post a lot, RH, thank you. I bellowed with laughter from the start with your title…very clever, for those of us who are big Queen fans. So much fandom today.

Lol! That title is fabulous! As is the Fan-dango! 🙂 Beautiful photos and thanks for the information about sea fans. I’ve never scuba dived so I always find it magical to see coral reef creatures. I’m also very curious about the Flamingo Tongue Snail…

Oh! Good to know. Snorkelling is much simpler than scuba-diving. I did do some snorkelling a long time ago. Glad to hear you get to enjoy some coral reef action even though swimming isn’t as easy for you as writing.